I just wanted you to know something Before you grow sideways around what you wish would stay planted Before your arms become branches reaching for solidarity And a tree hollow to harbor your sparrow of self-esteem You may not grow to be something easy to love Something everyone wants to be a part of You may in fact grow with mismatched colors and crooked roots With blooms too spiny to ever be “beautiful” You may not grow to be something easy to love Not everyone will know how to accept this, not even you And you can twist yourself in unnatural ways Try to contort your shape around what was never going to stay Until your back aches when you stretch and awake But you’ll learn to question why you bent so far in the first place And should you grow to be something uneasy to love Something difficult and defiant Remember this You didn’t need tender care to begin with Remember that you have your own hollow You are your own sparrow’s home